International Symposium on Trace Organic Pollutants in the Environment at
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India, 23 January, 2010. For
more details, please see the
symposium flyer (PDF, 973KB)

A research paper was submitted to Asian Development Bank
Institute as Background Paper for Conference on the "The Impact of
the Global Economic Slowdown on Poverty and Sustainable Development in Asia
and the Pacific", 28-30 Sept 2009, Hanoi

The Workshop to disseminate the environmental science field study was successfully
held with 140 participants. Following international and local experts' presentations,
selected students at the Department of Environmental Science of the Royal
University of Phnom Penh presented their own research results. Please
click here for more details.

Received Mitsui Environmental Fund to Support Field Research
of Royal University of Phnom Penh

UNU-MANAGE has received Mitsui Environmental Fund to support field research
studies at the Department of Environmental Studies of the Royal University
of Phnom Penh. The fund will support a two-year project promoting multi-sector
involvement for seeking sustainable operation of the official educational
program. A kick-off workshop will be held in July in Phnom Penh.

UNU and Shimadzu Initiate 5th Phase of Capacity Building
Project

2008.11.25 • UNU Rector Konrad Osterwalder and Shimadzu President Shigehiko
Hattori signed a historic agreement today to establish the 5th phase of
the project "Environmental Monitoring and Governance in the Asian Coastal
Hydrosphere". The signing ceremony marks a new phase in pollution monitoring
in Asia.

The project is one of UNU’s pioneering public and private-sector partnership
projects. Established 12 years ago, its aim is to strengthen environmental
research and education capacities in Asian developing countries and, over
the longer-term, create the scientific infrastructure necessary for environmental
governance and pollution-monitoring in the region.

With generous support from Shimadzu Corporation, the 5th phase (2008–2011)
will target the monitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment.
Classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are regulated under
the Stockholm Convention, PCBs are toxic to human and ecological health.

For more information on the UNU-Shimadzu project and other UNU initiatives
on environmental monitoring, visit the UNU Environment and Sustainable Development
website.

United Nations University Environment and Sustainable Development
Programme Public-Private Partnership Initiative Brochure has been published

Three UNU-private partnership projects are introduced as examples of success
in the brochure. The full brochure is available from here
(PDF, 127KB).

Training on POPs analysis in Squid-Liver Completed

UNU Training on POPs analysis in Squid (17-19 March 2008, Hadano, Kanagawa,
Japan) was completed. The participating trainees selected by the project
partners have learned POPs analysis in squid liver samples. Prof. Yuzuru
Ikeda (University of the Ryukyus) gave a lecture on the ecology and intelligent
behavior of squids. Please
click here for more details.

Student environmental field research initiated in Cambodia

Senior university students in Cambodia presented five proposals of the environmental
field studies to the faculty members at the Department of Environmental
Studies of the Royal University of Phnom Penh early February. The proposals
included studies on fishery management, irrigation systems, human settlement
in a bird conservation zone, and people’s health concerns in relation to
water and food consumption in a wetland area of the country. (left to right,
Buth Chanmeta, Sok Sophoan, Chea Sreyneang, Yen Sophearith)

Asia POPs Monitor (October 2007) issued

UNU presented its project results at Dioxin 2007

The 27th International Symposium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants
(Dioxin 2007) was held between 2-7 September 2007, in Tokyo. UNU presented
its project results at the Environmental Asia session.

UNU took the floor at the COP3 of the Stockholm Convention

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) of the Stockholm
Convention took place from the April 30th through May 5th in Dakar, Senegal.
In relation to the Financial Resources Agenda, UNU took the floor to briefly
introduce their successful private sector partnership program. This untapped
and yet potential financial resources has supported the UNU’s project on
POPs monitoring and governance since 1996 and could serve as a model for
other partnerships in the future.